Why the Series, The Man in the High Castle is Captivating - 5 Star Review

 

Storyline Overview

An alternate history where the Axis powers won World War II, leading to a divided America ruled by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

Main Characters:

• Juliana Crain: A woman who becomes entangled in the resistance movement.
• John Smith: An American who becomes a high-ranking Nazi official.
• Frank Frink: Juliana's boyfriend also gets involved in the resistance.
• Trade Minister Tagomi: A Japanese official with a mysterious interest in alternate realities.

Setting: 

The series is set in the 1960s in a dystopian world where the U.S. is split between the Greater Nazi Reich (east) and the Japanese Pacific States (west).

Number of Seasons:

• Total Seasons: 4
• Episodes: The series has a total of 40 episodes
• Season 1 was released in November 2015

Summary of the Series

The show begins with Juliana Crain receiving a mysterious film that shows a different version of history, where the Allies won the war. This film is part of a collection known as "The Grasshopper Lies Heavy," which depicts alternate realities.

As Juliana delves deeper, she discovers a complex web of resistance movements, secret alliances, and dangerous enemies.

John Smith's rise in the Nazi hierarchy presents a chilling view of the cost of power and loyalty.

Trade Minister Tagomi's spiritual journey and encounters with alternate realities add a layer of philosophical depth and hope.

Why the Series, The Man in the High Castle is Captivating

Alternate Realities: My favorite part of this series is the alternate realities! The series masterfully explores the concept of alternate realities, posing the intriguing question of what the world might be like if Germany and Japan had won WWII.

Suspenseful Plot: Each episode is filled with suspense, political intrigue, and unexpected twists, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.

Complex Characters: The characters are well-developed and multifaceted, making it easy to become invested in their personal journeys and struggles.

Visual and Historical Detail: The series is visually compelling, with meticulous attention to detail in its portrayal of a 1960s dystopian America.

Anticipation for More: Despite the conclusion of season 4, fans are left craving more, wondering if there will ever be a season 5 to explore the alternate realities and unresolved storylines further.

As a fan, I can't wait to see if there will ever be a season 5 that delves deeper into these compelling characters' and alternate histories and fates.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Netflix Series Review - All the Light We Cannot See

 

A couple of weeks ago, Fran was looking for something to watch on Netflix and came upon this Netflix limited series, "All the Light We Cannot See"

If you love historical fiction, like I do, you will love this limited series. We were hooked from the very first episode and binged the whole series in one night.

All the Light We Cannot See is based on the critically acclaimed novel by Anthony Doerr. 

The book was published in 2014 and was a New York Times Best Seller, and also won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. 

Netflix released the limited series on November 2, 2023. This series will have you on the edge of your seat through every episode.

Set during World War II the story follows two young individuals whose lives intersect amid the chaos of the war.

Newcomer Aria Mia Loberti as Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French teenage girl and the daughter of Daniel LeBlanc played by Mark Ruffalo. 

Aria Mia Loberti is really blind and this was her first acting experience. 

Louis Hoffmann as Werner Pfennig, a young German orphan who eventually becomes a soldier specializing in detecting and tracking radio frequencies.

Lars Eidinger as Reinhold von Rumple, an officer of the SS who certifies and evaluates art, and jewelry.

Hugh Laurie as Etienne LeBlanc, a reclusive World War I veteran suffering from PTSD and the great uncle of Marie-Laure.

The series spans from the years 1934 to 1944. When Nazi Germany invades France, Marie, and Daniel flee to Saint-Malo to take refuge in her great-uncle's house.

All the Light You Cannot See is a rollercoaster of emotions as the series balances moments of intense drama, heart-melting romance, and the harsh realities of war.

 I was emotionally invested in the journey of each character. I found myself rooting for their triumphs and feeling their heartaches as their lives intertwined. You find out early on in this series what bonds Marie and Werner, and you are eager to find out how it ends.

Watch the YouTube Official Trailer here:

You can find All the Light You Cannot See streaming on Netflix.

Now that I have seen this masterful limited series, I must read the book.

All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel

 

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Book Review of An Enemy Like Me

I found this book to be totally captivating on many levels.  First of all, the author made the characters so believable that you couldn't wait to turn the page and find out what was going on in their lives.  Secondly, for me the storyline and characters sounded like they stepped right out of my family history.  The similarities include: my father growing up in a German Lutheran community, my parents eloping, and my father and uncles going off to fight in World War II. 

The Characters

An Enemy Like Me is seen through the characters that make up the book.  There are three main characters that bring the book to life.

    Jacob Miller

Jacob Miller is a second generation German American.  He was brought up by his mother, a widowed immigrant.  Although they were poor they had each other and she instilled into Jacob a strong sense of patriotism for America. 

Jacob meets Bonnie Phillips and they work to make ends meet after the depression.  They are starting to get comfortable and buying their first home to bring home their son William.  Then the unthinkable happens, the country they love is drawn into the war in the Pacific and in Europe.  Jacob is torn, he is very patriotic and feels he must help the war effort and yet he has a new young family that he loves and does not want to leave.  Add to that part of the war is being fought against people from his parents homeland and he is even more torn.

    Bonnie Phillips

Bonnie's family were once very wealthy and that is the background she brings to her marriage with Jacob.  During the depression her family loses much of their wealth.  Bonnie falls deeply in love with Jacob and they elope and begin their live together.  What they don't have in money they make up for in their love and desire to carve their place in America.  Although Bonnie is also a strong patriot she does not want Jacob to leave.  She can't imagine life without him.

    William Miller

William is Jacob and Bonnie's son, who is 4 years old when Jacob feels the call to join the fight.  The story is told through alternating chapters of Bonnie, Jacob and William.  William's chapters are also told in the present time where we find him on Veteran's Day 2016 visiting his father's grave and reminiscing about his memories of the war.  We see how those years when Jacob was gone made a difference in William's life.

This book brings to life the joys and perils of German Americans during WWII.  It made me think of my own family and how their time during WWII shaped their lives. 

The Book on Amazon

 An Enemy Like Me

 

About the Author

I always find it interesting to learn more about the author on books that I enjoy.  Here is a bit about Teri M Brown taken from her media kit.  Take a few minutes to also look at her website where she recommends other books of historical fiction.

Born in Athens, Greece as an Air Force brat, Teri M Brown graduated from UNC Greensboro. She began her writing career helping small businesses with content creation and published five nonfiction self-help books dealing with real estate and finance, receiving "First Runner Up" in the Eric Hoffman Book Awards for 301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home Now, finalist in the USA Best Books Awards for How To Open and Operate a Financially Successful Redesign, Redecorate, and Real Estate Staging Business and for 301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home Now, and Honorable Mention in Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award for Private Mortgage Investing. In 2017, after winning the First Annual Anita Bloom Ornoff Award for Inspirational Short Story, she began writing fiction in earnest, and published Sunflowers Beneath the Snow in January 2022. Her second novel, An Enemy Like Me, launches in January 2023. Teri is a wife, mother, grandmother, and author who loves word games, reading, bumming on the beach, taking photos, singing in the shower, hunting for bargains, ballroom dancing, playing bridge, and mentoring others. Learn more at www.terimbrown.com. 

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The Last Correspondent Book Review

The Last Correspondent is a work of historical fiction written by Soraya M Lane.  It takes place during World War II just prior, during and after the invasion of Normandy.  The scenes are set in London and France during the war.  

This story is about three woman who fight to use their careers to tell their story in a man's world.  They show a tremendous amount of courage, grit and determination in order to get the story told.  This then is the story of a war correspondent, a photographer and a model.

I found this book to be a real page turner.  In fact after I was about half way through the book, I couldn't put it down till I read the whole book.  It is one of those books where the author does such a good job of making the characters believable that I couldn't wait to see what happened next.

The Three Women

• Danni-  Danni is a seasoned photographer, who has photographed the war on several different fronts.  As the days close in on the Normandy invasion she finds herself in London.   Only the  men are allowed to get passes to cover the war during the invasion, but Danni is determined to find a way to get to the action.  She has teamed up with a correspondent, Andy, who has been with her during her last several assignments.  They have become good friends and cover each others backs.  Danni enlists Andy to help her sneak aboard a medical ship that is sailing toward Normandy.
• Ella-  Ella is a reporter who has written stories  under a man's pen name in order to get her works published.  When she is found out, her publisher fires her.  She finds a job with a magazine reporting on the war from a women's point of view.  She interviews women working on the war effort and the magazine is so pleased with her work that they send her to London to report on the war.  Like Danni, Ella also finds she is limited in her access because she is a woman.  Ella goes by herself to try to find a way to the action and find herself on the same medical ship as Dani and Andy.  After a rough night hiding on board they decide to team up as they make their way to shore.
• Chloe-  Chloe is Andy's sister who was a Vogue model prior to the war.  When she was in Paris on a modeling job she met Gabriel, an editor, whom she fell in love.  At the beginning of the story Chloe is at her home in England, longing to find a way to be with Gabriel in Paris.  She says she is a showgirl in order to make her way into Nazi occupied Paris.

The Men in Their Lives

• Cameron- Cameron is a Lieutenant that Danni first meets and has a conflict with when she is covering the war in Sicily.  She meets up with him again in a bar in London and then in Normandy.  They have a real love/hate relationship.
• Andy- Andy is a war correspondent and best friend to Danni.  They have been together on several war zones and he always has her back when she is pushing the envelope.
• Gabriel-  Gabriel is Chloe's lover and she sneaks in to Paris to be with him, only to find out the it is very pre-occupied working for the resistance.  
• Michael - Michael is also a war correspondent and Ella first meets him at the bar at the Savoy in London.  This is a meeting place for many of the correspondents and photographers.  She next meets up with him in Normandy.

Recommendation

If you are a lover of historical fiction this is a wonderful  read.  It is full of history, women's fight to be treated as equals, and just a bit of romance.  A great read all around.  I highly recommend it.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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